Family therapy

Definition

Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy that involves all the members of a nuclear or extended family. It may be conducted by a pair or team of therapists. In many cases the team consists of a man and a woman in order to treat gender-related issues or serve as role models for family members. Although some forms of family therapy are based on behavioral or psychodynamic principles, the most widespread form is based on family systems theory. This approach regards the family, as a whole, as the unit of treatment, and emphasizes such factors as relationships and communication patterns rather than traits or symptoms in individual members.

Family therapy is a relatively recent development in psychotherapy. It began shortly after World War II, when doctors, who were treating schizophrenic patients, noticed that the patients' families communicated in disturbed ways. The doctors also found that the patients' symptoms rose or fell according to the level of tension between their parents. These observations led to considering a family as an organism or system with its own internal rules, patterns of functioning, and tendency to resist change. The therapists started to treat the families of schizophrenic patients as whole units rather than focusing on the hospitalized member. They found that in many cases the family member with schizophrenia improved when the "patient" was the family system. (This should not be misunderstood to mean that schizophrenia is caused by family problems, although family problems may worsen the condition.) This approach of involving the entire family in the treatment plan and therapy was then applied to families with problems other than the presence of schizophrenia.

Family therapy is becoming an increasingly common form of treatment as changes in American society are reflected in family structures. It has led to two further developments: couples therapy, which treats relationship problems between marriage partners or gay couples; and the extension of family therapy to religious communities or other groups that resemble families.

Description

Family therapy tends to be short-term treatment, usually several months in length, with a focus on resolving specific problems such as eating disorders, difficulties with school, or adjustments to bereavement or geographical relocation. It is not normally used for long-term or intensive restructuring of severely dysfunctional families.

In family therapy sessions, all members of the family and both therapists (if there is more than one) are present at most sessions. The therapists seek to analyze the process of family interaction and communication as a whole; they do not take sides with specific members. They may make occasional comments or remarks intended to help family members become more conscious of patterns or structures that had been previously taken for granted. Family therapists, who work as a team, also model new behaviors for the family through their interactions with each other during sessions.

Family therapy is based on family systems theory, which understands the family to be a living organism that is more than the sum of its individual members. Family therapy uses "systems" theory to evaluate family members in terms of their position or role within the system as a whole. Problems are treated by changing the way the system works rather than trying to "fix" a specific member. Family systems theory is based on several major concepts:

The identified patient (IP) is the family member with the symptom that has brought the family into treatment. The concept of the IP is used by family therapists to keep the family from scapegoating the IP or using him or her as a way of avoiding problems in the rest of the system.

The concept of homeostasis means that the family system seeks to maintain its customary organization and functioning over time. It tends to resist change. The family therapist can use the concept of homeostasis to explain why a certain family symptom has surfaced at a given time, why a specific member has become the IP, and what is likely to happen when the family begins to change.

The extended family field refers to the nuclear family, plus the network of grandparents and other members of the extended family. This concept is used to explain the intergenerational transmission of attitudes, problems, behaviors, and other issues.

Differentiation refers to the ability of each family member to maintain his or her own sense of self, while remaining emotionally connected to the family. One mark of a healthy family is its capacity to allow members to differentiate, while family members still feel that they are "members in good standing" of the family.

Family systems theory maintains that emotional relationships in families are usually triangular. Whenever any two persons in the family system have problems with each other, they will "triangle in" a third member as a way of stabilizing their own relationship. The triangles in a family system usually interlock in a way that maintains family homeostasis. Common family triangles include a child and its parents; two children and one parent; a parent, a child, and a grandparent; three siblings; or, husband, wife, and an in-law.

— Rebecca J. Frey

(psychology) Treatment of more than one family member in the same therapeutic session.

Definition

Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that involves all members of a nuclear family or stepfamily and, in some cases, members of the extended family (e.g., grandparents). A therapist or team of therapists conducts multiple sessions to help families deal with important issues that may interfere with the functioning of the family and the home environment.

Purpose

The goal of family therapy is to help family members improve communication, solve family problems, understand and handle special family situations (for example, death, serious physical or mental illness, or child and adolescent issues), and create a better functioning home environment. For families with one member who has a serious physical or mental illness, family therapy can educate families about the illness and work out problems associated with care of the family member. For children and adolescents, family therapy most often is used when the child or adolescent has a personality, anxiety, or mood disorder that impairs their family and social functioning, and when a stepfamily is formed or begins having difficulties adjusting to the new family life. Families with members from a mixture of racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds, as well as families made up of same-sex couples who are raising children, may also benefit from family therapy.

Description

Family therapy is generally conducted by a therapist or team of therapists who are trained and experienced in family and group therapy techniques. Therapists may be psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or counselors. Family therapy involves multiple therapy sessions, usually lasting at least one hour each, conducted at regular intervals (for example, once weekly) for several months. Typically, family therapy is initiated to address a specific problem, such as an adolescent with a psychological disorder or adjustment to a death in the family. However, frequently, therapy sessions reveal additional problems in the family, such as communication issues. In a therapy session, therapists seek to analyze the process of family interaction and communication as a whole and do not take sides with specific family members. Therapists who work as a team can model new behaviors for the family through their interactions with each other during a session.

Family therapy is based on family systems theory, in which the family is viewed as a living organism rather than just the sum of its individual members. Family therapy uses systems theory to evaluate family members in terms of their position or role within the system as a whole. Problems are treated by changing the way the system works rather than trying to fix a specific member. Family systems theory is based on several major concepts.

Concepts in Family Therapy

THE IDENTIFIED PATIENT. The identified patient (IP) is the family member with the symptom that has brought the family into treatment. Children and adolescents are frequently the IP in family therapy. The concept of the IP is used by family therapists to keep the family from scapegoating the IP or using him or her as a way of avoiding problems in the rest of the system.

HOMEOSTASIS (BALANCE). Homeostasis means that the family system seeks to maintain its customary organization and functioning over time, and it tends to resist change. The family therapist can use the concept of homeostasis to explain why a certain family symptom has surfaced at a given time, why a specific member has become the IP, and what is likely to happen when the family begins to change.

THE EXTENDED FAMILY FIELD. The extended family field includes the immediate family and the network of grandparents and other relatives of the family. This concept is used to explain the intergenerational transmission of attitudes, problems, behaviors, and other issues. Children and adolescents often benefit from family therapy that includes the extended family.

DIFFERENTIATION. Differentiation refers to the ability of each family member to maintain his or her own sense of self, while remaining emotionally connected to the family. One mark of a healthy family is its capacity to allow members to differentiate, while family members still feel that they are members in good standing of the family.

TRIANGULAR RELATIONSHIPS. Family systems theory maintains that emotional relationships in families are usually triangular. Whenever two members in the family system have problems with each other, they will "triangle in" a third member as a way of stabilizing their own relationship. The triangles in a family system usually interlock in a way that maintains family homeostasis. Common family triangles include a child and his or her parents; two children and one parent; a parent, a child, and a grandparent; three siblings; or, husband, wife, and an in-law.

In the early 2000s, a new systems theory, multisystemic therapy (MST), has been applied to family therapy and is practiced most often in a home-based setting for families of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. MST is frequently referred to as a "family-ecological systems approach" because it views the family's ecology, consisting of the various systems with which the family and child interact (for example, home, school, and community). Several clinical studies have shown that MST has improved family relations, decreased adolescent psychiatric symptoms and substance use, increased school attendance, and decreased re-arrest rates for adolescents in trouble with the law. In addition, MST can reduce out-of-home placement of disturbed adolescents.

Preparation

In some instances the family may have been referred to a specialist in family therapy by their pediatrician or other primary care provider. It is estimated that as many as 50 percent of office visits to pediatricians have to do with developmental problems in children that are affecting their families. Some family doctors use symptom checklists or psychological screeners to assess a family's need for therapy. For children and adolescents with a diagnosed psychological disorder, family therapy may be added to individual therapy if family issues are identified as contributing factors during individual therapy.

Family therapists may be either psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, or other professionals certified by a specialty board in marriage and family therapy. They usually evaluate a family for treatment by scheduling a series of interviews with the members of the immediate family, including young children, and significant or symptomatic members of the extended family. This process allows the therapist(s) to find out how each member of the family sees the problem, as well as to form first impressions of the family's functioning. Family therapists typically look for the level and types of emotions expressed, patterns of dominance and submission, the roles played by family members, communication styles, and the locations of emotional triangles. They also note whether these patterns are rigid or relatively flexible.

Preparation also usually includes drawing a genogram, which is a diagram that depicts significant persons and events in the family's history. Genograms include annotations about the medical history and major personality traits of each member. Genograms help uncover intergenerational patterns of behavior, marriage choices, family alliances and conflicts, the existence of family secrets, and other information that sheds light on the family's present situation.

Precautions

Individual therapy for one or more family members may be recommended to avoid volatile interaction during a family therapy session. Some families are not considered suitable candidates for family therapy. They include:

• families in which one, or both, of the parents is psychotic or has been diagnosed with antisocial or paranoid personality disorder
• families whose cultural or religious values are opposed to, or suspicious of, psychotherapy
• families with members who cannot participate in treatment sessions because of physical illness or similar limitations
• families with members with very rigid personality structures (Here, members might be at risk for an emotional or psychological crisis.)
• families whose members cannot or will not be able to meet regularly for treatment

Risks

The chief risk in family therapy is the possible unsettling of rigid personality defenses in individuals or relationships that had been fragile before the beginning of therapy. Intensive family therapy may also be difficult for family members with diagnosed psychological disorders. Family therapy may be especially difficult and stressful for children and adolescents who may not fully understand interactions that occur during family therapy. Adding individual therapy to family therapy for children and adolescents with the same therapist (if appropriate) or a therapist who is aware of the family therapy can be helpful.

Normal Results

Normal results vary, but in good circumstances, they include greater insight, increased differentiation of individual family members, improved communication within the family, loosening of previously automatic behavior patterns, and resolution of the problem that led the family to seek treatment.

Parental Concerns

Stepfamilies, which are increasing in prevalence, are excellent candidates for family therapy. Children and adolescents in stepfamilies often have difficulties adjusting, and participating in family therapy can be beneficial. Stepfamilies, increasingly referred to as "blended families," experience unique pressures within each new family unit. Stepfamily researchers, family therapists, and the Stepfamily Association of America (SAA) view the term as inaccurate because it seems to suggest that members of a stepfamily blend into an entirely new family unit, losing their individuality and attachment to other outside family members. Because other family types (biological, single-parent, foster, adoptive) are defined by the parent-child relationship, the SAA believes that the term "stepfamily" more accurately reflects that relationship and is consistent with other family definitions. Viewing the stepfamily as a blended family can lead to unrealistic expectations, confused and conflicted children, difficult adjustment, and in many cases, failure of the marriage and family. Family therapy can help family members deal with these issues.

Children and adolescents and, in some cases even the parents, may be reluctant to participate in family therapy. Home-based family therapy has in the early 2000s become available as an option for families with severely disturbed adolescents and family members reluctant to see a therapist. In home-based therapy, a therapist or team of therapists comes directly to the family's home and conducts therapy sessions there.

Resources

Books

Barnes, Gill Gorell. Family Therapy in Changing Times. Gordonville, VA: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.

Carlson, Jon, et al. Family Therapy Techniques: Integrating and Tailoring Treatment. Florence, KY: Brunner-Routledge, 2005.

Landau, Elaine. Family Therapy. Danbury, CT: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2004.

Sells, Scott P. Treating the Tough Adolescent: A Family-Based, Step-by-Step Guide. New York: Guilford Publications, 2004.

Periodicals

Cortes, Linda. "Home-Based Family Therapy: A Misunderstanding of the Role and a New Challenge for Therapists." The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families 12 (April 2004): 184–88.

Heater, Mary Lou. "Ethnocultural Considerations in Family Therapy." Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association 9 (April 2003): 46–54.

Hutton, Deborah. "Filial Therapy: Shifting the Balance." Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 9 (April 2004): 261–70.

Sheidow, Ashli J., and Mark S. Woodford. "Multisystemic Therapy: An Empirically Supported, Home-Based Family Therapy Approach." The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families 11 (July 2003): 257–63.

Organizations

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. 112 South Alfred St., Alexandria, VA 22314–3061. Web site: www.aamft.org/index_nm.asp.

International Family Therapy Association. Web site: www.ifta-familytherapy.org/about.htm.

Stepfamily Association of America. Web site: www.saafamilies.org.

Stepfamily Foundation. Web site: www.stepfamily.org.

[Article by: Jennifer E. Sisk, M.A.]

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page.

Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy and family systems therapy, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of interaction between family members. It emphasizes family relationships as an important factor in psychological health.

What the different schools of family therapy have in common is a belief that, regardless of the origin of the problem, and regardless of whether the clients consider it an "individual" or "family" issue, involving families in solutions is often beneficial. This involvement of families is commonly accomplished by their direct participation in the therapy session. The skills of the family therapist thus include the ability to influence conversations in a way that catalyzes the strengths, wisdom, and support of the wider system.

In the field's early years, many clinicians defined the family in a narrow, traditional manner usually including parents and children. As the field has evolved, the concept of the family is more commonly defined in terms of strongly supportive, long-term roles and relationships between people who may or may not be related by blood.

Family therapy has been used effectively in the full range of human dilemmas; there is no category of relationship or psychological problem that has not been addressed with this approach.

Contents 1 History and theoretical frameworks 2 Techniques 3 Publications 4 Licensing and degrees 4.1 Values and ethics in family therapy 5 Founders and key influences 6 Academic resources 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

History and theoretical frameworks

Formal interventions with families to help individuals and families experiencing various kinds of problems have been a part of many cultures, probably throughout history. These interventions have sometimes involved formal procedures or rituals, and often included the extended family as well as non-kin members of the community (see for example Ho'oponopono). Following the emergence of specialization in various societies, these interventions were often conducted by particular members of a community – for example, a chief, priest, physician, and so on - usually as an ancillary function.^[1]

Family therapy as a distinct professional practice within Western cultures can be argued to have had its origins in the social work movements of the 19th century in England and the United States.^[1] As a branch of psychotherapy, its roots can be traced somewhat later to the early 20th century with the emergence of the child guidance movement and marriage counseling.^[2] The formal development of family therapy dates to the 1940s and early 1950s with the founding in 1942 of the American Association of Marriage Counselors (the precursor of the AAMFT), and through the work of various independent clinicians and groups - in England (John Bowlby at the Tavistock Clinic), the US (John Bell, Nathan Ackerman, Christian Midelfort, Theodore Lidz, Lyman Wynne, Murray Bowen, Carl Whitaker, Virginia Satir), and Hungary (D.L.P. Liebermann) - who began seeing family members together for observation or therapy sessions.^[1][3] There was initially a strong influence from psychoanalysis (most of the early founders of the field had psychoanalytic backgrounds) and social psychiatry, and later from learning theory and behavior therapy - and significantly, these clinicians began to articulate various theories about the nature and functioning of the family as an entity that was more than a mere aggregation of individuals.^[2]

The movement received an important boost in the mid-1950s through the work of anthropologist Gregory Bateson and colleagues – Jay Haley, Donald D. Jackson, John Weakland, William Fry, and later, Virginia Satir, Paul Watzlawick and others – at Palo Alto in the US, who introduced ideas from cybernetics and general systems theory into social psychology and psychotherapy, focusing in particular on the role of communication (see Bateson Project). This approach eschewed the traditional focus on individual psychology and historical factors – that involve so-called linear causation and content – and emphasized instead feedback and homeostatic mechanisms and “rules” in here-and-now interactions – so-called circular causation and process – that were thought to maintain or exacerbate problems, whatever the original cause(s).^[4][5] (See also systems psychology and systemic therapy.) This group was also influenced significantly by the work of US psychiatrist, hypnotherapist, and brief therapist, Milton H. Erickson - especially his innovative use of strategies for change, such as paradoxical directives. The members of the Bateson Project (like the founders of a number of other schools of family therapy, including Carl Whitaker, Murray Bowen, and Ivan Böszörményi-Nagy) had a particular interest in the possible psychosocial causes and treatment of schizophrenia, especially in terms of the putative "meaning" and "function" of signs and symptoms within the family system. The research of psychiatrists and psychoanalysts Lyman Wynne and Theodore Lidz on communication deviance and roles (e.g., pseudo-mutuality, pseudo-hostility, schism and skew) in families of schizophrenics also became influential with systems-communications-oriented theorists and therapists.^[2][6] A related theme, applying to dysfunction and psychopathology more generally, was that of the "identified patient" or "presenting problem" as a manifestation of or surrogate for the family's, or even society's, problems. (See also double bind; family nexus.)

By the mid-1960s a number of distinct schools of family therapy had emerged. From those groups that were most strongly influenced by cybernetics and systems theory, there came strategic therapy, and slightly later, Salvador Minuchin's structural therapy and the Milan systems model. Partly in reaction to some aspects of these systemic models, came the experiential approaches of Virginia Satir and Carl Whitaker, which downplayed theoretical constructs, and emphasized subjective experience and unexpressed feelings (including the subconscious), authentic communication, spontaneity, creativity, total therapist engagement, and often included the extended family. Concurrently and somewhat independently, there emerged the various intergenerational therapies of Murray Bowen, Ivan Böszörményi-Nagy, James Framo, and Norman Paul, which present different theories about the intergenerational transmission of health and dysfunction, but which all deal usually with at least three generations of a family (in person or conceptually), either directly in therapy sessions, or via "homework", "journeys home", etc. Psychodynamic family therapy - which, more than any other school of family therapy, deals directly with individual psychology and the unconscious in the context of current relationships - continued to develop through a number of groups that were influenced by the ideas and methods of Nathan Ackerman, and also by the British School of Object Relations and John Bowlby’s work on attachment. Multiple-family group therapy, a precursor of psychoeducational family intervention, emerged, in part, as a pragmatic alternative form of intervention - especially as an adjunct to the treatment of serious mental disorders with a significant biological basis, such as schizophrenia - and represented something of a conceptual challenge to some of the "systemic" (and thus potentially "family-blaming") paradigms of pathogenesis that were implicit in many of the dominant models of family therapy. The late-1960s and early-1970s saw the development of network therapy (which bears some resemblance to traditional practices such as Ho'oponopono) by Ross Speck and Carolyn Attneave, and the emergence of behavioral marital therapy (renamed behavioral couple therapy in the 1990s) and behavioral family therapy as models in their own right.^[2]

By the late-1970s the weight of clinical experience - especially in relation to the treatment of serious mental disorders - had led to some revision of a number of the original models and a moderation of some of the earlier stridency and theoretical purism. There were the beginnings of a general softening of the strict demarcations between schools, with moves toward rapprochement, integration, and eclecticism – although there was, nevertheless, some hardening of positions within some schools. These trends were reflected in and influenced by lively debates within the field and critiques from various sources, including feminism and post-modernism, that reflected in part the cultural and political tenor of the times, and which foreshadowed the emergence (in the 1980s and 1990s) of the various "post-systems" constructivist and social constructionist approaches. While there was still debate within the field about whether, or to what degree, the systemic-constructivist and medical-biological paradigms were necessarily antithetical to each other (see also Anti-psychiatry; Biopsychosocial model), there was a growing willingness and tendency on the part of family therapists to work in multi-modal clinical partnerships with other members of the helping and medical professions.^[2][7][6]

From the mid-1980s to the present the field has been marked by a diversity of approaches that partly reflect the original schools, but which also draw on other theories and methods from individual psychotherapy and elsewhere – these approaches and sources include: brief therapy, structural therapy, constructivist approaches (eg, Milan systems, post-Milan/collaborative/conversational, reflective), solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, a range of cognitive and behavioral approaches, psychodynamic and object relations approaches, attachment and Emotionally Focused Therapy, intergenerational approaches, network therapy, and multisystemic therapy (MST).^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} Multicultural, intercultural, and integrative approaches are being developed.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21]} Many practitioners claim to be "eclectic," using techniques from several areas, depending upon their own inclinations and/or the needs of the client(s), and there is a growing movement toward a single “generic” family therapy that seeks to incorporate the best of the accumulated knowledge in the field and which can be adapted to many different contexts^[22]; however, there are still a significant number of therapists who adhere more or less strictly to a particular, or limited number of, approach(es).^[23]

Ideas and methods from family therapy have been influential in psychotherapy generally: a survey of over 2,500 US therapists in 2006 revealed that of the ten most influential therapists of the previous quarter-century, three were prominent family therapists, and the marital and family systems model was the second most utilized model after cognitive behavioral therapy.^[24]

Techniques

Family therapy uses a range of counseling and other techniques including:

• communication theory
• psychoeducation
• psychotherapy
• relationship education
• systemic coaching
• systems theory
• reality therapy
• media psychology

The number of sessions depends on the situation, but the average is 5-20 sessions. A family therapist usually meets several members of the family at the same time. This has the advantage of making differences between the ways family members perceive mutual relations as well as interaction patterns in the session apparent both for the therapist and the family. These patterns frequently mirror habitual interaction patterns at home, even though the therapist is now incorporated into the family system. Therapy interventions usually focus on relationship patterns rather than on analyzing impulses of the unconscious mind or early childhood trauma of individuals as a Freudian therapist would do - although some schools of family therapy, for example psychodynamic and intergenerational, do consider such individual and historical factors (thus embracing both linear and circular causation) and they may use instruments such as the genogram to help to elucidate the patterns of relationship across generations.

The distinctive feature of family therapy is its perspective and analytical framework rather than the number of people present at a therapy session. Specifically, family therapists are relational therapists: They are generally more interested in what goes on between individuals rather than within one or more individuals, although some family therapists -- in particular those who identify as psychodynamic, object relations, intergenerational, EFT, or experiential family therapists -- tend to be as interested in individuals as in the systems those individuals and their relationships constitute. Depending on the conflicts at issue and the progress of therapy to date, a therapist may focus on analyzing specific previous instances of conflict, as by reviewing a past incident and suggesting alternative ways family members might have responded to one another during it, or instead proceed directly to addressing the sources of conflict at a more abstract level, as by pointing out patterns of interaction that the family might have not noticed.

Family therapists tend to be more interested in the maintenance and/or solving of problems rather than in trying to identify a single cause. Some families may perceive cause-effect analyses as attempts to allocate blame to one or more individuals, with the effect that for many families a focus on causation is of little or no clinical utility. Media and the Family has been emerging as an important area since the introduction of the topic by Bernard Luskin at the spring 2008 CAMFT Conference. The effect of media on behavior has become so pervasive now that those studying family therapy are now studying the subject.

Public understanding of issues affecting the family is important for purposes of education and to aid in communication. Media studies in the field of marriage and family therapy is growing and developing a more important role in improving cultures across the globe.

Publications

Family therapy journals include: Family Process, Journal of Systemic Therapies, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Journal of Family Therapy, The Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, The Psychotherapy Networker, The Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, The Australian Journal of Family Therapy, The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, Journal for the Study of Human Interaction and Family Therapy

Licensing and degrees

Family therapy practitioners come from a range of professional backgrounds, and some are specifically qualified or licensed/registered in family therapy (licensing is not required in some jurisdictions and requirements vary from place to place). In the United Kingdom, family therapists are usually psychologists, nurses, psychotherapists, social workers, or counselors who have done further training in family therapy, either a diploma or an M.Sc.. However, in the United States there is a specific degree and license as a Marriage and Family therapist.

Prior to 1999 in California, counselors who specialized in this area were called Marriage, Family and Child Counselors. Today, they are known as Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT), and work variously in private practice, in clinical settings such as hospitals, institutions, or counseling organizations.

A master's degree is required to work as an MFT in some American states. Most commonly, MFTs will first earn a M.S. or M.A. degree in marriage and family therapy, psychology, family studies, or social work. After graduation, prospective MFTs work as interns under the supervision of a licensed professional and are referred to as an MFTi.^[25]

Marriage and family therapists in the United States and Canada often seek degrees from accredited Masters or Doctoral programs recognized by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education(COAMFTE), a division of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. For accredited programs, click here.

Requirements vary, but in most states about 3000 hours of supervised work as an intern are needed to sit for a licensing exam. MFTs must be licensed by the state to practice. Only after completing their education and internship and passing the state licensing exam can a person call themselves a Marital and Family Therapist and work unsupervised.

License restrictions can vary considerably from state to state. In Ohio, for example, Marriage and Family Therapists are not allowed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, practice independently, or bill insurance. Contact information about licensing boards in the United States are provided by the Association of Marital and Family Regulatory Boards.

There have been concerns raised within the profession about the fact that specialist training in couples therapy – as distinct from family therapy in general - is not required to gain a license as an MFT or membership of the main professional body, the AAMFT.^[26]

Values and ethics in family therapy

Since issues of interpersonal conflict, power, control, values, and ethics are often more pronounced in relationship therapy than in individual therapy, there has been debate within the profession about the different values that are implicit in the various theoretical models of therapy and the role of the therapist’s own values in the therapeutic process, and how prospective clients should best go about finding a therapist whose values and objectives are most consistent with their own.^[27][28][29] Specific issues that have emerged have included an increasing questioning of the longstanding notion of therapeutic neutrality^[30],^[31][32] a concern with questions of justice and self-determination,^[33] connectedness and independence,^[34] "functioning" versus "authenticity",^[7] and questions about the degree of the therapist’s "pro-marriage/family" versus "pro-individual" commitment.^[35]

Founders and key influences

Some key developers of family therapy are:

• Alfred Adler (phenomenology)
• Nathan Ackerman (psychoanalytic)
• Tom Andersen (Reflecting practices and dialogues about dialogues)
• Harlene Anderson (Postmodern Collaborative Therapy and Collaborative Language Systems)
• Harry J Aponte (Person-of-the-Therapist)
• Gregory Bateson (1904 – 1980) (cybernetics, systems theory)
• Ivan Böszörményi-Nagy (Contextual therapy, intergenerational, relational ethics)
• Murray Bowen (Systems theory, intergenerational)
• Steve de Shazer (solution focused therapy)
• Milton H. Erickson (hypnotherapy, strategic therapy, brief therapy)
• Richard Fisch (brief therapy, strategic therapy)
• James Framo (object relations theory, intergenerational)
• Harry Goolishian (Postmodern Collaborative Therapy and Collaborative Language Systems)
• John Gottman (marriage)
• Robert-Jay Green (LGBT, cross-cultural issues)
• Jay Haley (strategic therapy, communications)
• Lynn Hoffman (strategic, post-systems, collaborative)
• Don D. Jackson (systems theory)
• Susan Johnson (Emotionally focused therapy, attachment theory)
• Bradford Keeney (cybernetics, resource focused therapy)
• Walter Kempler (Gestalt psychology)
• Bernard Luskin (Media Psychology, Media and The Family, Media Studies)
• Cloe Madanes (strategic therapy)
• Salvador Minuchin (structural)
• Braulio Montalvo (structural)^{[citation needed]}
• Virginia Satir (communications, experiential, conjoint and co-therapy)
• Mara Selvini Palazzoli (Milan systems)
• Ross Speck (network therapy)
• Robin Skynner (Group Analysis)
• Paul Watzlawick (Brief therapy, systems theory)
• John Weakland (Brief therapy, strategic therapy, systems theory)
• Carl Whitaker (Family systems, experiential, co-therapy)
• Michael White (narrative therapy)
• Lyman Wynne (Schizophrenia, pseudomutuality)

Academic resources

• Family Process
• Journal of Child and Family Studies, ISSN: 1062-1024 (Print) 1573-2843 (Online), Springer
• Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
• Journal of Family Psychology
• Family Relations
• Contemporary Family Therapy
• Family Matters, Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Journal of Comparative Family Studies, ASIN: B00007M2W5, Univ of Calgary/Dept Sociology
• Journal of Family Studies, ISSN: 1322-9400, eContent Management Pty Ltd

See also

AAMFT Alternative dispute resolution CAMFT Child abuse Conflict resolution Domestic violence Dysfunctional family Family Family Life Space Genogram Group therapy

Internal Family Systems Model Interpersonal psychotherapy Interpersonal relationship Intimate relationship Marriage Marriage and family therapy Mediation Mental health professional Media Psychology Media Studies

Narrative therapy Positive psychology (in development) Psychoeducation Relationship counseling Relationship education Relationships Australia Strategic Family Therapy Systemic therapy Systems psychology

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Broderick, C.B. & Schrader, S.S. (1991). The History of Professional Marriage and Family Therapy. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of Family Therapy. Vol. 2. NY: Brunner/Mazel
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Sholevar, G.P. (2003). Family Theory and Therapy. In Sholevar, G.P. & Schwoeri, L.D. Textbook of Family and Couples Therapy: Clinical Applications. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.
3. ^ Silverman, M. & Silverman, M. Psychiatry Inside the Family Circle. Saturday Evening Post, 46-51. 28 July 1962.
4. ^ Guttman, H.A. (1991). Systems Theory, Cybernetics, and Epistemology. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of Family Therapy. Vol. 2. NY: Brunner/Mazel
5. ^ Becvar, D.S., & Becvar, R.J. (2008). Family therapy: A systemic integration. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
6. ^ ^{a b} Barker, P. (2007). Basic family therapy; 5th edition. Wiley-Blackwell.
7. ^ ^{a b} Nichols, M.P. & Schwartz, R.C. (2006). Family therapy: concepts and methods. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
8. ^ Sprenkle, D.H., & Bischof, G.P. (1994). Contemporary family therapy in the United States. Journal of Family Therapy, 16(1): 5-23(19)
9. ^ Dattilio, F.R. (Ed.) (1998). Case Studies in Couple and Family Therapy: Systemic and Cognitive Perspectives. Guildford Press: New York.
10. ^ Gurman, A.S. & Fraenkel, P. (2002). The history of couple therapy: a millennial review. Family Process, 41(2): 199-260(62)
11. ^ Couple therapy Harvard Mental Health Letter 03/01/2007.
12. ^ Attachment and Family Systems. Family Process. Special Issue: Fall 2002 41(3)
13. ^ Denborough, D. (2001). Family Therapy: Exploring the Field's Past, Present and Possible Futures. Adelaide, South Australia: Dulwich Centre Publications.
14. ^ Crago, H. (2006). Couple, Family and Group Work: First Steps in Interpersonal Intervention. Maidenhead, Berkshire; New York: Open University Press.
15. ^ Van Buren, J. Multisystemic therapy. Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. retrieved 29 Oct. 2009
16. ^ McGoldrick, M. (Ed.) (1998). Re-Visioning Family Therapy: Race, Culture, and Gender in Clinical Practice.Guilford Press: New York.
17. ^ Dean, R.G. (2001). The Myth of Cross-Cultural Competence. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services. 82(6): 623-30.
18. ^ Krause, I-B. (2002). Culture and System in Family Therapy. London; New York: Karnac.
19. ^ Ng, K.S. (2003). Global Perspectives in Family Therapy: Development, Practice, and Trends. New York: Brunner-Routledge.
20. ^ McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J. & Garcia-Preto, N. (2005). Ethnicity & Family Therapy, 3rd Ed.: Guilford Press.
21. ^ Nichols, M.P. & Schwartz, R.C. (2006). Recent Developments in Family Therapy: Integrative Models; in Family therapy: concepts and methods. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
22. ^ Lebow, J. (2005). Handbook of clinical family therapy. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
23. ^ Booth, T.J. & Cottone, R.R. (2000). Measurement, Classification, and Prediction of Paradigm Adherence of Marriage and Family Therapists. American Journal of Family Therapy. 28(4): 329-346.
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25. ^ "Therapy Center:Credentials". Psychology Today. http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/content/therapy_credentials.html. Retrieved 2008-08-13. 
26. ^ Doherty W (2002). "Bad Couples Therapy and How to Avoid It: Getting past the myth of therapist neutrality". Psychotherapy Networker 26 (Nov-Dec): 26–33. http://www.smartmarriages.com/badcouples.doherty.html. 
27. ^ Doherty, W., & Boss, P. (1991). Values and ethics in family therapy. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of Family Therapy. Vol. 2. NY: Brunner/Mazel
28. ^ Dueck A (1991). "Metaphors, models, paradigms and stories in family therapy". in Vande Kemp H. Family therapy: Christian perspectives. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. pp. 175–207. ISBN 0-8010-9313-9. http://documents.fuller.edu/sop/integration/Publications/dueck_publications/dueckfam.pdf. 
29. ^ Wall J, Needham T, Browning DS, James S (Apr 1999). "The Ethics of Relationality: The Moral Views of Therapists Engaged in Marital and Family Therapy". Family Relations 48 (2): 139–49. doi:10.2307/585077. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0197-6664%28199904%2948%3A2%3C139%3ATEORTM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-6&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage. 
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35. ^ USA Today 6/21/2005 Hearts divide over marital therapy.

External links

Included in this list are the main professional associations in the US and internationally; they reflect to some degree the different theoretical, ideological, and cross-cultural views of family therapy theory and practice.

• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy: main professional association in US
• American Family Therapy Academy: main research-oriented professional association in US
• Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice in the UK
• Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy: the de facto professional association for Australia and NZ
• Bowen Theory from the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family.
• California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
• European Family Therapy Association
• International Family Therapy Association
• Historical overview of the field; Therapist profiles; Timeline from Allyn and Bacon/Longman publishing.
• Family Support Partnership - An Overview of Family Therapy and Mediation
• Dulwich Centre: Gateway to Narrative Therapy & Community Work
• "Mind For Therapy" group devoted to creative origins of Family Therapy

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